Parents, schools leaders debate fate of Wood Middle School

Parents at Wood Middle School asked the school board Tuesday to consider putting the Alameda Community Learning Center somewhere else next year, while some school board members said more needs to be done to support the middle school.

The charter is being moved from its longtime home at Encinal High School to make room for a new “Junior Jets” middle school program. And while school district leaders’ formal space offer to ACLC isn’t due until Friday, they have said there’s nowhere else for the school to go.

The comments came as district staffers offered a lengthy presentation on efforts they are making to boost test scores at three schools, including Wood. Schools that receive Title I funding from the federal government because a high percentage of the students they serve come from low-income families are required to meet test score targets or face sanctions that can include closure. Schools that do not receive Title I funding aren’t held to the same standards.